Bailey Van Tassel

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woman in overalls and hat with shovel in the garden
07 Oct 2021
Gardening, Health, Uncategorized

Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health for the Home Gardener

I’m going to break it down for us laymen here, as understanding regenerative agriculture can feel complex. And for us everyday gardeners and average people, it can get overwhelming.

Regenerative agriculture is a new approach to farming that is beyond “organic”, and actually seeks to heal the earth. Due to a monocultural approach to farming (which is when we grow just one crop on thousands of acres), our soil has become depleted of nutrients and in fact, can contain incredibly harmful toxins due to the use of pesticides and herbicides.

The demand for food globally has required this method of farming, that’s what got us here. It’s due to that demand from the millions worldwide, as well as generational farming practices that are passed down that we got this far into it. I don’t know a single farmer that wants bad soil. Many farmers are working hard to rectify practices, get up to speed on regenerative agriculture, and change their approach.

Amending the soil with no-till berms is one way to reduce soil stripping in your own garden, and use a regenerative agriculture principle.

So, we don’t need to go slamming all the farming operations. However, the rubber has met the road and we are seeing human health decline as a result.

Predictably, as the health of the soils and the plants that grow in them has diminished, chronic disease has gone epidemic. In the 1960s the entire US population had a chronic disease burden of 4%. Today, 46% of our children carry a chronic disease diagnosis. We have never imagined, let alone witnessed this level of chronic disease.

– Farmer’s Footprint

On a very large level, regenerative agriculture practices involve the following:

  • No tillage
  • Diverse cover crops
  • In-farm fertility (no external nutrients)
  • compost
  • Holistic planned grazing
  • No pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
  • Multiple crop rotations
  • Biochar
  • Pollinator “highways”

*Also info from Farmer’s Footprint

So what does this mean to you and me? As an average everyday person, this means finding farms that use these practices, starting as local as you can. Signing up for their CSA programs, or shopping there as much as you can. You can ask vendors at your local farmer’s market, or do your research ahead of time on which farms practice regenerative agriculture.

For the home gardener, that means both action and inaction. It means investing in your soil health too. Avoiding fertilizers and absolutely zero chemical interventions. Work your land like a regenerative agriculture farmer – add compost and make compost. Use your little piece of dirt to be an example of getting soil back to optimum health, and watch your family’s lives change too.

What does healthy soil have in it?

Healthy soil is full of natural materials and life. They say that every square foot should have at least 10 worms in it. There should be a loamy texture, and be free of grit and man-made products. The common and traditional NPK fertilizer system is good for growing big calorie-rich vegetables, but like our friends that are using regenerative agriculture principles, there should not be a need for such things. When built and brought in, the magic soil combination that I strive for is 50% good quality topsoil, 30% compost, and the rest a mix of natural ingredients like worm castings, mushroom compost, aged manure, and maybe a little biochar.

To amend your existing soil in a way that supports regenerative agriculture approaches, adding compost and mulch and actual plant matter over and over and over again is a slow but steady method. The plants will help amend the soil too, drawing in beneficial insects and worms, etc. It all works together creating a soil web that is complex and v=invaluable.

Home gardening and growing your own food is a way to remove yourself from the problem and stop buying into/ supporting the companies that are not sharing in the values of regenerative agriculture and soil health.

While being proactive with our own little victory gardens sounds lovely, I realize that not all of us have enough space to fully grow all of our own produce. And just buying local can be limiting either geographically or in cost.

But here is what we can all do: choose other products that don’t contribute to the problem.

What we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in them. Our skin is our largest organ after all!

Ways to support regenerative agriculture beyond food are:

  • Skincare
  • Clothing
  • Toiletries
  • Homegoods

It does take more effort to shop beyond Amazon and Target – believe me, it’s a process. It involves planning and often paying a higher short-term cost. My advice is to start out replacing one item at a time. Just bath products, then makeup, then t-shirts, and so on.

Clean skincare brand that I love:

The Kitchen Garden is run by a small-town mama who I got to know on Instagram – she makes ALL her own skincare from plants she either grows or sources from small gardens. It doesn’t get cleaner than that!

Clothing that is regenerative agriculture grown:

I actually fully learned about regenerative agriculture from Christy Dawn, a dress company along with a podcast episode from Goop. This all makes me sound quite into fashion, but I am so thrilled that the industry is promoting such god practices. The Goop podcast I listened to had Dr. Zach BUsh, M.D. on it who is wildly knowledgeable and one of my favorite resources on health.

Christy Dawn started an entirely new line of clothing and asked if I would be one of their stewards, spreading the world about regenerative agriculture, and to that I said: HECK YES. You can see me here on their site.

Christy Dawn is one of my favorite companies, and they use regenerative agriculture to grow their cotton. The dresses, as shown above, are spectacular and feel so light and natural on your skin.

They’ve adopted a farm in India and dedicated it to a 100% regenerative agriculture approach and have seen incredible life-altering changes to the business, and the farmers.

Patagonia is always on the forefront of these things, but now brands like Allbirds, and Reformation are doing this too!

For more information on regenerative agriculture, I love these sources:

Farmers footprint

Kiss the ground

Rodale Institute

There is a lot of information out there to check out, my favorite local regenerative ag source is The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA. I urge you to do your own research and get familiar with this approach.

*This blog contains an affiliate link, which will not impact the cost of any items, but does compensate me if you shop. Thank you for your support!

TAGS:organic soilregenerative agregenerative agriculturesoil health
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Hi I’m Bailey

Hi I’m Bailey

Teaching you how to grow veggies in any space while show you how to live a garden-inspired life.

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Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken 5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼 7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. Life is dang good. Celebrate it. #gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
Shall we try a photo dump? 

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap. 

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon. 

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him. 

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it. 

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much. 

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces! 

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing. 

Life is dang good. Celebrate it. 

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

Shall we try a photo dump?

1. Harvesting so much chard right now. Making a spanikopita asap.

2. Got my tomato and pepper starts! They’re going in this week💘 I’ll share more soon.

3. Sweet baby Duke. I want to eat him.

4. The garden is so happy from the rain and this is maybe photo #12,907 that I’ve taken

5. Salmon bites in the air fryer were a hit. Kids even ate this!! Do it.

6. Seeds I started last week💪🏼

7. My son wrote a book for me about gardening and my heart has never been more full. Complete with his own 5 year old “I luv mam” notes that make me cry because I just love it so much.

8. My daughter and I noticed birds trying to pull our trellis string down for their nests so we cut some for them and draped it around. They took all the pieces!

9. Last weekend I went to brunch with friends and it was a bit of an ordeal getting a sitter, taking the baby, etc. But I’m committed to no longer being a martyr when plans change, and was so filled up by my time away from home. Time with girlfriends for a few years took a backseat and I’ve been actively changing that dynamic. Feels amazing.

Life is dang good. Celebrate it.

#gardeninspiration #gardenlife #gardenmama #gardeningwithkids #organic #photodump

12 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/4
My husband asked me: “so, what do want to do?”

My response: “garden and hang out with my kids.” 

And so, I figured that out. 

Ah, not quite so simple. But really I like to think about what time in my day makes me most happy and how can I make more of that? What do I want to show my kids matters? Better spend time doing that. What do I believe in? Better spend time in that zone too. Perhaps they all collide somehow? They usually do. 

I spent years really searching for my “calling” or purpose … I can say now that the hard part isn’t finding your thing - it’s being the steward of that gift and realizing how to use it. 

This year will be one for the books as I grow my business, our family, and this garden. I’m here for anyone who has questions about making your passion your work too. 

#mompreneur #gardeninglife #sahm #lovewhatyoudo #organicgardening
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

My husband asked me: “so, what do want to do?”

My response: “garden and hang out with my kids.”

And so, I figured that out.

Ah, not quite so simple. But really I like to think about what time in my day makes me most happy and how can I make more of that? What do I want to show my kids matters? Better spend time doing that. What do I believe in? Better spend time in that zone too. Perhaps they all collide somehow? They usually do.

I spent years really searching for my “calling” or purpose … I can say now that the hard part isn’t finding your thing – it’s being the steward of that gift and realizing how to use it.

This year will be one for the books as I grow my business, our family, and this garden. I’m here for anyone who has questions about making your passion your work too.

#mompreneur #gardeninglife #sahm #lovewhatyoudo #organicgardening

20 hours ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
And gardening isn’t cheaper 🥴💃🏻. 

It’s funny how things come around …
Raised on a hobby farm where designer jeans were Wranglers, but all I wanted was to dance in the San Francisco ballet and wear high heels. 

Then once I actually wore high heels for work and lived the city life, I longed for the country. 

I’m somewhere in between now which is just how it was supposed to be.
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

And gardening isn’t cheaper 🥴💃🏻.

It’s funny how things come around …
Raised on a hobby farm where designer jeans were Wranglers, but all I wanted was to dance in the San Francisco ballet and wear high heels.

Then once I actually wore high heels for work and lived the city life, I longed for the country.

I’m somewhere in between now which is just how it was supposed to be.

7 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/4
Here’s the scoop! I literally had a dream about this and brought it to reality. I want magic in my kids everyday lives. It’s so so fun and they LOVE it. 

What we did is first buy a functional fairy door off Etsy. There are tons is styles and colors. 

Then build a full box without a bottom to attach to the inside of your raised bed. You have to use a jigsaw to cut the hole out, just making sure it fits with the little door. Then you waterproof the box with plastic stapled on all around. 

 E sure to leave room on top of the box for soil to cover it. Ours is 10” deep, wide, and tall (our beds are 18” tall). 

Let the magic unfold 🪄🧚🏼‍♀️
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

Here’s the scoop! I literally had a dream about this and brought it to reality. I want magic in my kids everyday lives. It’s so so fun and they LOVE it.

What we did is first buy a functional fairy door off Etsy. There are tons is styles and colors.

Then build a full box without a bottom to attach to the inside of your raised bed. You have to use a jigsaw to cut the hole out, just making sure it fits with the little door. Then you waterproof the box with plastic stapled on all around.

E sure to leave room on top of the box for soil to cover it. Ours is 10” deep, wide, and tall (our beds are 18” tall).

Let the magic unfold 🪄🧚🏼‍♀️

1 week ago
View on Instagram |
4/4

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